The Duel
The grip of control tightened. Ian Ternado. As the current chief student leading the second-years and serving as Cadel's direct assistant, he found the boy named Yuda utterly distasteful.
—Have you been well, Senior Ian?
Was it that distinctive aura of his? The relaxed demeanor grated on his nerves. A mere freshman who had only been at the academy for a few months, acting as if he could afford such casual arrogance. From the very beginning, Ian had wanted nothing more than to crush him underfoot.
—Did you guys hear? They say an unprecedented freshman has enrolled.
—If you're talking about that, you mean Young Master Snakers, right?
—I watched his duel last time. His skills were seriously brutal.
—No wonder the professors are all lighting up with excitement. There's always a reason for it.
The students chattering like idiots were annoying too. They were nothing more than first-years. What was so special about the boy that they had to make such a fuss? Every time he heard the rumors praising Yuda, his mood would twist without him realizing it.
Perhaps it was inferiority.
'What the hell is so great about a guy like that?'
Whenever that happened, Ian would sneer at the rumors. Unable to accept that someone with talent surpassing his own existed, he would tear the other person down without hesitation. He thought the boy was just some nobody putting on airs. No matter how outstanding Yuda's skills might be, he was convinced the freshman could never be a match for him—the chief student of the second-years.
After all, the gap between school years at Galimar was like an insurmountable wall.
'Tsk... What does the professor even see in a brat like that?'
As the days passed, his sense of displeasure only grew. It became especially pronounced after Cadel began showing interest in Yuda. After all, his own position was now at risk of being taken away. The role of chief assistant was far too prestigious for a mere novice.
But what truly made Ian's blood boil—more than that outrageous recruitment offer—was...
—Well, I'm not particularly interested.
—For now, I appreciate the offer.
—I'll think about it. I'll visit you later.
The boy's lukewarm responses. Yuda had repeatedly put off giving a clear answer to the recruitment, dangling the possibility right in front of them as if testing their patience. And this was toward Cadel—one of the most prominent professors at Galimar. It was as if he had no sense of his own place.
Ian wanted to throw a glove in the boy's face, but he knew better than to carelessly challenge him to a duel. He had no idea what kind of reaction that might provoke. Besides, the image of a senior trampling a junior wouldn't look very elegant.
"Consider yourself lucky that you're a junior. If we were in the same year, I would've sent you a duel challenge at least a few times by now."
Ian had to cool his temper alone. But then—
"That's actually a rather good idea."
"...What?"
"A duel, I mean."
An entirely unexpected situation unfolded. Yuda suddenly broke into a bright smile. He removed the glove he was wearing and, without the slightest hesitation, threw it straight at Ian.
Thud!
"I, Yuda Snakers, hereby challenge Ian Ternado to a duel in the name of honor and order."
The sharp impact struck his chest. The voice rang clearly in his ears. As Ian stood there frozen in shock, his eyes met a pair of smiling, narrow slits. The snake flicked its tongue.
"I trust you won't run away."
Before he knew it, Ian had accepted the duel challenge.
The news of the duel spread like wildfire.
Perhaps because the schedule was empty until the school trip, the students went wild over the dopamine-inducing news and flocked to it. The academy's attention quickly focused on the upcoming event.
—I accept the duel.
—The price of defeat... shall be fulfilling one request from the victor.
—The date will be two days from now.
Ian seemed somewhat flustered, but since he had been itching for a fight anyway, he agreed to the duel. It appeared the perceived slight had gotten under his skin. His face had flushed red and pale by turns for a while. The sight of him puffing up with his eyes wide open was quite entertaining.
Anyway.
The news of the two's duel struck the academy like a thunderbolt. Students couldn't stop talking about the sensational topic, and even though there were only two days until the event, its impact was undeniable. Whenever you walked down the hallway, at least half the conversations you overheard were about the duel.
—Who do you think is going to win?
—Obviously Senior Ian, right?
—He's not called a candidate for next year's student council president for nothing.
—Really? I think the young master has a pretty good chance too.
—Sure, the young master is an overwhelmingly talented freshman... but isn't it still too much for him to beat Senior Ian?
—Yeah, I guess that's true.
Opinions were sharply divided. Overall, the atmosphere seemed to favor Ian's victory. While there were some who supported Yuda, the majority predicted that he wouldn't be able to overcome the difference in their school years. They said Young Master Snakers was still too green.
In truth, it was somewhat understandable. His opponent was Ian Ternado. The current leader of the second-years and Cadel's direct chief assistant. A talent evaluated as the best when it came to lightning magic. He received considerable admiration from the students and was a name that never failed to come up whenever next year's student council president was discussed.
In short, he was the very model of an elite.
'Besides, the students don't know my full strength.'
At best, they had only seen his previous duel. That was the only time the students had properly witnessed him fight. Of course, he had put on a performance they would never forget, but if asked whether it had enough explosive power to overwhelm Ian, the answer was uncertain. That was why such calculations were being made.
That Young Master Snakers could never reach Ian Ternado.
—I'm betting on Senior Ian winning too.
—Honestly, a year from now the young master would probably win easily... but right now, the difference in experience is a factor.
—Senior Ian definitely feels like he's on another level.
These reactions were the same even among the main cast. While quietly working on an assignment in the library, Legia, who was sitting next to him, whispered softly.
"Y-Young Master... are you going to be okay?"
"Of course I'm perfectly fine, Miss Legia."
"But I heard your opponent is incredibly strong. O-Of course, I'm rooting for you, but..."
"You're worried about what might happen, I suppose?"
"Y-Yeah, something like that."
"How admirable. As expected, the only one who truly thinks of me is you, Miss Legia."
"E-Eee..."
The pink creature melted under his stroking hand. She seemed to be fretting because of him. Being worried about by the protagonist felt absolutely wonderful. It really felt like they had become the best of friends, filling his heart with a strange sense of pride.
As he was smiling gently like that—
"That's never going to happen."
Someone who had been eavesdropping nearby butted in. A boy with blue hair. None other than Emilia's younger brother, Ruska Vanity. The guy who had come saying he had something to discuss with his sister plopped down in the nearby seat.
Ruska subtly inserted himself into the conversation.
"Senior Ian is strong, you know. This time, you won't be able to handle him."
He had been acting all solemn and reserved earlier, but the moment a topic he knew about came up, his mouth couldn't stay shut. After all, the boy was a fervent follower of Ian.
"Even if you're overwhelmingly dominant among the first-years... there's always a bigger sky above the sky."
"R-Really? Is he that amazing?"
"Commoners should stay out of this."
"......"
"Anyway, you'd better prepare yourself for defeat."
Ruska snorted to himself. As expected of someone with the same blood as the villainess, he gave off an unmistakable third-rate villain vibe. Finding it too bothersome to respond, Yuda simply nodded.
It was noisy on both sides. One was worrying, the other was mocking, and they were making a whole racket between themselves. The only one staying silent in that situation was Emilia.
"......"
Since she had seen his true nature, she seemed to think the outcome was obvious. The villainess quietly approached his side. The girl whispered softly into his ear.
"......You can't kill him."
It seemed her mind was caught on an entirely different concern. Yuda let out a short laugh.
"Of course I don't plan to."
It wasn't a lie. No matter how much of a duel it was, there was no need to shed blood. He added, as if to reassure her.
"I don't intend to be particularly harsh. I won't toy with him like last time either."
He was a gentleman, after all.
Lie has recovered slightly.
[Current remaining output: 96.4%]
Of course. There were always exceptions.
***
And so, the day of the duel arrived.
The location was once again the public training arena. It was a sight he had faced several times now. As he stepped onto the wide circular arena, the numerous spectator seats surrounding it came into view. Every single seat was packed full.
"Heh heh."
Was he starting to get used to it? The scale of the arena that had felt overwhelming at first now felt familiar enough to laugh off. He prepared for the match with some light stretching.
"Student Yuda."
Selena stood beside him. She had rushed over after hearing the news of this duel. The woman who had been silently watching him finally pulled the bottle from her lips and asked. Her words carried a strong scent of alcohol.
"Hah... Are you really going to be alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"The duel, of course. If you want, I can stop it even now. I still have enough influence to cover something like this."
"I'll take your words to heart."
"I thought you hated getting involved in troublesome matters."
"But I do like interesting ones."
"You're still hard to understand."
Selena let out another sigh.
"I don't think you'll lose, but I'll still be cheering for you."
"You can look forward to it, Master."
"Hmph."
Her red eyes sparkled with interest. Leaving her following gaze behind, he walked toward the stage where the duel was about to take place.
Someone was already standing at the center of the arena.
"You've come."
It was none other than Ian. The boy stood with his arms crossed in a dignified manner, waiting for him to arrive. The two faced each other. His opponent spoke with a sneer.
"I really didn't think you'd actually show up."
"Running away isn't my style."
"I have no idea what you were thinking when you challenged me to a duel. You couldn't possibly believe you can beat me, could you?"
"Who knows? That remains to be seen, doesn't it?"
"How ridiculous."
He let out a hollow laugh as if it were absurd. After briefly rotating his wrist, Ian's eyes turned icy cold as he glared at him.
"I've been waiting for this chance anyway. This time, I'll thoroughly trample you."
Crackle—!
Small sparks flew into the air. Ian's specialty—lightning magic. The boy was charging lightning at his fingertips. The electricity roared fiercely. Just by gathering mana, it gave off a menacing aura.
"I'll burn that smug face of yours to a crisp."
Crackle—!
Was this an attempt at intimidation? It looked like nothing more than a pathetic provocation. The snake showed no sign of shrinking back. Instead, it only smiled slyly. As if it were enjoying this entire situation.
"You shouldn't use such strong words."
The tongue flicked out.
"It makes you look weak."
"...What?"
A shiver—
An eerie chill ran down his spine.
"......?!"
An unknown coldness. As his shoulders trembled from the alien sensation, the referee's voice soon rang out. The duel was beginning. Ian flinched but quickly assumed a stance.
📍 The duel will proceed as a spar. It ends when one side subdues or incapacitates the opponent.
🎁 Additionally, the duel ends if one side forfeits.
The rules were the same as the previous duel. Before long, the head referee flicked a coin into the air. The golden afterimage struck the ground.
Clang—!
The signal announcing the start of the duel rang out.
Immediately after—
"Hup!"
With a short breath, Ian leaped forward. His body flashed as if blinking, then charged toward Yuda at high speed. Lightning spread out in all directions.
Crackle—!
It seemed he was trying to induce electrocution. The distance closed in an instant. Yuda gazed at the seemingly slow-flowing moment and murmured the Lie held between his lips. The resonance spread out calmly.
"Shatter."
Illusion magic. The world flipped upside down.